THE UNCOMFORTABLE BED by H. A. St. John

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 23, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 25.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE BED.

By H. A. St. John

BY ELDER H. A. ST. JOHN.

"For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it." Isa. 28: 20. Such would certainly be an uncomfortable bed. But the prophet evidently uses this as a figure, or illustration, to teach a lesson. From the context we would conclude that the illustration is given to represent that class of religious professors, and teachers in particular, who seek to screen, hide, or justify themselves in error, with a covering of lies, and thus quiet their consciences in a time of reformation. But the false shepherds of the last days, who love their own ease, will be ill at ease after all, in a bed that is too short, and with covers that are too narrow, when God's burning and shining truth is flashing through the earth, revealing the deformity of error.

With covering that is too narrow to wrap themselves in, some parts of the body must necessarily be constantly exposed, and the stalwart advocates of harmonious Bible truth, in order to show the deficiency and narrowness of error, will be always pointing to those naked places. By this constant exposure these people will become very much annoyed, and will straighten themselves occasionally in self-defense. But every time they do this, the bed being also too short, they are sure to strike their heads against the headboard, and no marvel if they then become enraged and threaten.

In the great Sabbath reform now sweeping over the earth with a loud voice, we often witness the verification of Isaiah's homely illustration. The creed of the Catholic Church is such parts of the Bible as they have not abrogated, or changed to suit their notion, together with the traditions of the fathers, decisions of popes and church councils, and so on, all of which make a bed long enough, if not strong enough, for almost anybody to stretch himself upon, and that too in any direction. And all the covering is made to suit. But the entire make-up of this bed and covering is so largely human we are sure that in the day rapidly approaching it will be swept away forever, together with all other human substitutes for divine truth, and human subterfuges for salvation.

When the great Protestant body left the bosom of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century, they professedly renounced the Catholic rule of faith and practice, the Catholic creed, as unsafe to rest upon. They adopted the Bible and the Bible alone as the only safe rule and resting place for salvation. This is a bed of God's own formation, ample in dimensions, with covers of divine truth, and promises large enough for all vicissitudes in life. It is the sinner's only comfortable and secure resting place. The true Protestant, with the holy Bible as his only and all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, settles every question of religious faith or moral obligation by an appeal to the sacred volume. But since the rise of the Sabbath reformation a large class of Protestants, rather than change their practice, have rejected the only weekly Sabbath of divine appointment, the one clearly instituted, taught, and enjoined throughout the entire Scriptures. They ignore, malign, and spurn the Bible Sabbath, while at the same time they professedly accept the Bible as their only rule of faith and practice. They also cherish, honor, and extol the Sunday rest, an institution entirely foreign to the Bible, making void the Sabbath command of Jehovah, the mark of his power, and exalt the counterfeit sabbath, the badge or mark of the papal power. By this procedure they place themselves in a very unreasonable, inconsistent, and cramped situation, and truly their bed is too short to stretch themselves upon it, and all their defensive arguments and excuses are entirely too narrow to wrap themselves in.

As the light of God's down-trodden Sabbath comes to them, many will forsake the uncomfortable bed, and find a secure shelter in the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, while very many more will begin to call to the old mother Catholic Church to come to their aid, and help them to keep the covers on. But we hear the Catholic Church saying to these people:—

"My wayward children, your profession of holding the Scripture alone as the standard of faith is false. The proof is, the written word explicitly enjoins the seventh day as the Sabbath. You do not observe the seventh day, but reject it. If you did really hold the Scripture alone as your standard, you would observe the seventh day, as enjoined in the Scripture throughout. You not only reject the observance of the Sabbath enjoined in the written word, but you adopt and practice the observance of Sunday, for which you have only the tradition of the church. Hence you see that your position is only a selfish and ambitious rebellion against church authority, self-contradictory, self-stultifying, and suicidal; and we can only aid in exposing your nakedness where you are. If you will not live up to your principles, or come back to the fold, there is but one way by which we can help you for a little time, and that is to coöperate with you in an appeal to State authority, to weave you some large covers—Sunday laws—to wrap yourselves in."

To this the Sunday Protestants, who have ceased to protest, make reply: "That is just the thing we are after, and the government has a cover for us in the loom now; and for a while the shuttles were flying briskly, and the work went on well; but just at present it is found that the beam of the loom—the Constitution—must be changed before the big cover can be completed, and we know how anxious the pope is to have the Constitution and legislation of earthly governments modeled on the principles of the true church; so we will count on your help now to change the beam of the loom." And they are bound to succeed.

They are in earnest, and becoming quite thoroughly incensed against those whose biblical teaching and exemplary lives annoy them, condemn them. Religion shorn of true spiritual power always seeks to wrap its deformity with civil laws.